The SuperEnduro World Championship season for 2023 has kicked off, bringing us closer to the next big event for the world's best off-road motorcycle racers in Riesa, Germany. The SuperEnduro Grand Prix Germany is happening on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at the WT Energiesysteme Arena in Riesa. It's the third race of the season out of seven.
The season began in Lievin, France - the first time since 2017 that the top-notch riders gathered there, this time in the northeast of the country.
As expected, or almost feared, last year's winner and three-time world champion, British rider Billy Bolt, dominated the Prestige class event. He won all the points-scoring sessions, including the Superpole and all three heats..
Bolt was the star yet again
His fellow Brit Jonny Walker came in second in each race and overall. Will Hoare, despite a mix of results, secured third place overall, making it an all-British podium.
Over 4,000 fans in the Stade Couvert de Lievin arena, along with those watching via livestream, were eager to see how six-time SuperEnduro World Champion Taddy Blazusiak from Poland would perform on his Stark Future electric bike among traditional combustion engine motorcycles. However, the FIM (Motorcycling World Federation) withdrew his entry permission 24 hours before the technical inspection, likely due to competition-related decisions.
Manuel Lettenbichler returned to SuperEnduro for the first time since 2021
Daniel Auerswald from Hohndorf near Stollberg, head of the Riesa event organization team, hopes that this world premiere might take place on January 6 in Saxony. He commented, "It's a shame that we missed the chance to reach a new audience and bring more attention to the already exciting SuperEnduro sport."
Daniel Auerswald, from the event company of the same name, is always looking for ways to improve. "I travel to the season opener whenever possible to learn about new regulations, processes, etc., and to possibly incorporate ideas from other events into ours. Plus, staying in touch with the riders is important, and we need content for our social media channels," he said.
He added, "A crucial aspect of SuperEnduro is the track. My personal impression of the track here in Levin was that it was very fast, but too Supercross-like and not technical enough for my taste. We plan to do better in Riesa. We have a reputation to uphold. However, we must give credit to the French organizers for hosting their first SuperEnduro event. We were able to offer some tips for securing various obstacles based on our observations on Friday."
Milan Schmüser, Manuel Lettenbichler und Tim Apolle (v. l. n. r.) sind schon voller Vorfreude auf ihr Heimrennen in Riesa
Ebenfalls unter spezieller Beobachtung von Daniel Auerswald standen die drei deutschen Fahrer Manuel Lettenbichler, Tim Apolle und Milan Schmüser.
Von denen kehrte Manuel Lettenbichler nach mehrjähriger SuperEnduro-Pause in die Halle zurück. Nach dem Gewinn der Junior-WM 2016 sowie seiner Titelverteidigung bei der Hard-Enduro-WM 2023 mit sechs von sechs möglichen Siegen hatte man ein wenig gehofft, dass er den SuperEnduro-King der letzten Jahre, Billy Bolt, vielleicht würde ein bisschen ärgern können. Doch bei seinem Indoor-Comeback lief vieles gegen ihn, was er unumwunden auf seine Kappe nahm. „Ich habe einfach zu viele Fehler gemacht und bin nicht sauber gefahren. Ich habe ein bisschen mit dem Bike kämpfen müssen und war bei den Positionskämpfen vielleicht ein bisschen zu freundlich“, sagte er nach seinen Heat-Plätzen vier, acht und fünf sowie Rang sechs in der Tageswertung und fügte daran an: „Ich denke aber, dass, wenn ich weniger stürze, das Podium für mich demnächst wieder drin sein sollte. In Polen ist eine neue Strecke und ein neues Rennen. Schauen wir mal.“
Tim Apolle finished in the top 10
Tim Apolle from Saxony-Anhalt was reasonably happy with his performance, finishing in the top 10 of the Prestige class and looking forward to improving.
In the Junior class, Israeli rider Suff Sella dominated all three heats, with Brit Ashley Brightmore and Hungarian Roland Liszka joining him on the podium. Milan Schmüser from Tensfeld started the season with a fourth-place finish in the Juniors.
Milan Schmüser started the 2023/2024 season in fourth place among the juniors
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